Chinese company opens plant, creates 350 jobs in La Vergne

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Memory foam maker Sinomax Group is opening its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Tennessee.

The 500,000-square-foot plant will formally open its doors in the Nashville community of La Vergne on Tuesday. The facility is expected to create 350 jobs.

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry and state Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe are scheduled to attend a ceremony to celebrate Sinomax's first production facility outside of China. They will join Frank Chen, the president and CEO of Sinomax USA and Steve Bratspies, the chief merchandising officer of Walmart.

Sinomax designs and produces memory foam mattresses, toppers and pillows, and has been a major Walmart supplier for more than a decade.

The plant is located in a former Whirlpool facility that was shuttered in 2008.